Koyasan Saizenin

Our experience at Saizen-In was indescribable. It was romantic, yet adventurous. Even though the temple itself was very cold, our room was extremely cozy. I was surprised by the comfort of our stay. The monks were all very polite and welcoming. The food was even better! I highly recommend including both breakfast and dinner in your reservation.

Very welcoming to our 8yo twins! Lovely meal and it was special to be a part of the morning service (7am!) Kids were able to participate in the incense burning and prayer.

We stayed at this temple for one night and it was worth it. You have a vegan breakfast and dinner cooked for you whilst you stay in a traditional Japanese style room. Location wise, it was perfect for us. The cemetery is about a 20-25 minute walk which isn’t too bad as you explore the area anyway. The monks were very welcoming and I had a fun conversation with one about football (they love Tomiyasu and Mitoma). They spoke English very well and I could communicate easily, even one monk who couldn’t speak much English just pulled out his phone and used translator to speak. In the morning, you’re invited to join their morning prayers which is a unique experience. It’s about 30 minutes long and certainly something you don’t want to miss. Some things to be aware of is, for us, we had the option of having dinner served at either 5 or 5:30pm. Dinner for the most part was tasty and delicious. I’m open minded and willing to try things I wouldn’t normally have - but I can imagine picky eaters not enjoying some of the dishes. Also, curfew is around 9pm. They literally shut the temple doors. So be careful about doing night tours of the cemetery that start at 7. (We went on our own accord as it was dark by 5pm anyway)

The staff was very friendly. Nice rooms. The diner was delicious! Of course the morning ceremony is a must! Followed by the breakfast 👌

This is truly an amazing experience, we slept on comfy futon beds on tatami mats and shared the bathroom amenities with other guests which wasn’t a problem as there were plenty. The onsen in the ladies shower room was lovely and relaxing. At 7am we attended morning devotions with the monks and afterwards were served a vegan breakfast. As we had not booked for dinner we brought our own vegetarian food with us as we were advised that eating places closed early and the temple gate was closed at 9pm. We bought the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket which covers the rail round trip from Nankai Namba and two days of free rides on the local Koyasan hop on hop off bus. An experience not to be missed.